Institute for Counselling & Psychotherapy Studies

About ICPS College

Professional education shaped around the therapeutic practitioner

ICPS College is an Irish provider of specialist counselling, psychotherapy, psychology, mental-health and allied professional education. Our programmes combine live lecturer-led online teaching, structured Moodle learning, applied clinical skills, reflective practice, assessment and strong professional governance.

Live OnlineProfessional DiplomasAccredited CertificatesSpecialist CPDDigital Credentials

Our Purpose

Education for reflective, ethical and clinically responsible practice

ICPS College was developed around a central educational principle: professional learning in counselling and psychotherapy must go beyond the transfer of information. Students need a learning environment in which theory, ethical reasoning, relational awareness, case formulation, personal reflection and applied skills can be brought together in a coherent professional framework.

The College serves practising counsellors and psychotherapists, students, healthcare and social-care workers, educators, supervisors, allied professionals and adult learners with a serious interest in psychological and relational practice. Individual programmes differ in level, focus and entry requirements, so learners are encouraged to review the relevant course information carefully before enrolment.

Teaching is structured to help learners understand not only what a therapeutic model proposes, but how it is used responsibly, what its limitations are, how the practitioner affects the therapeutic relationship, and when referral, supervision or multidisciplinary consultation is indicated. Professional boundaries, safeguarding, confidentiality, self-awareness and ethical accountability are therefore embedded throughout the learning experience.

ICPS College also places significant emphasis on depth psychology. Depending on the programme, students may encounter Freudian, Lacanian and contemporary psychodynamic thinking alongside evidence-informed, trauma-informed, cognitive, existential, relational, developmental, neuroscientific and integrative approaches. The aim is not theoretical eclecticism for its own sake, but the development of thoughtful practitioners who can compare models, understand their assumptions and use them within an ethical scope of competence.

What defines ICPS learning

Live lecturer-led teaching rather than passive distance learning
Structured Moodle-supported self-directed study
Clinical skills practice, case discussion and reflective learning
Freudian, Lacanian and contemporary psychodynamic integration
Ethics, safeguarding, boundaries, supervision and referral awareness
Assessment designed to integrate knowledge with professional judgement
Accessible study pathways for practitioners, students and adult learners

Academic Experience

A learning model that connects theory, skills and professional formation

The College's live-online model is designed to preserve the interaction, challenge and dialogue associated with a real classroom while providing the flexibility of online access. Learners are expected to participate actively, prepare between classes and use the wider learning environment to consolidate their understanding.

LiveLecturer-Led Zoom LearningMoodleStructured Academic ResourcesSkillsApplied Clinical CompetenceReflectProfessional Self-Awareness

Live Online Teaching

Real-time classes support teaching, discussion, questions, case exploration, skills practice and direct lecturer engagement. The live environment allows learners to test ideas, develop clinical language and engage with different professional perspectives rather than studying in isolation.

Assessment & Moderation

Depending on the programme, assessment may include live attendance, written summative work, viva voce examination and applied skills assessment. Formal skills examinations may use two-examiner quality-assurance and moderation processes to support consistency and academic standards.

Professional Formation

Learning focuses on ethical reasoning, therapeutic presence, self-awareness, boundaries, communication, use of supervision and the capacity to work thoughtfully within scope of competence. These are treated as integral aspects of professional development rather than optional additions to theoretical knowledge.

Digital Learning Environment

Moodle supports learning between live classes

ICPS College uses a dedicated student Moodle environment to organise academic resources and extend learning beyond the live Zoom classroom. Moodle provides a structured place for learners to return to course materials, prepare for assessment and engage with the wider self-directed learning expected within professional education.

Students may use Moodle to access lecture notes, reading material, revision resources, assessment guidance, course information and recordings where these are provided. Programme materials can also support case reflection, theoretical consolidation and preparation for skills or summative assessment.

Moodle is not intended to replace live teaching. It works alongside lecturer-led classes so that students can revisit key ideas at their own pace while remaining part of an active learning cohort.

ICPS Student MoodleLearning · Revision · Assessment SupportCourse modules, lecture notes and academic materialsReading, revision and self-directed learning resourcesAssessment briefs, guidance and submission preparationRecordings and supplementary learning where applicableProgramme announcements and learner-support information

Programme Portfolio

Specialist study across counselling, psychotherapy and mental health

ICPS College develops focused programmes that allow learners to deepen knowledge in specific clinical, theoretical and professional areas. The portfolio includes Professional Diplomas, advanced programmes, Certificates, workshops and continuing professional development, with subject matter spanning psychological theory, therapeutic skills, trauma, relationships, development, supervision and specialist practice.

Breadth with Clinical Depth

A portfolio built around real areas of therapeutic work

The College's subject range reflects the complexity of contemporary counselling and psychotherapy practice. Learners can develop specialist understanding of trauma, loss, addiction, cognitive and psychodynamic therapies, child and adolescent mental health, relationships, sexuality and identity, emotional regulation, neuroscience, psychosomatic processes, crisis intervention and other areas that commonly arise in professional helping contexts.

Psychodynamic & Psychoanalytic Thinking

Across relevant programmes, students are introduced to concepts such as unconscious conflict, defence, repetition, transference and countertransference, alongside Lacanian perspectives on language, desire, the symbolic order and the Other. The purpose is to deepen attention to meaning and relational process rather than reduce practice to technique.

Trauma-Informed Practice

Trauma education considers safety, stabilisation, nervous-system regulation, dissociation, attachment, embodiment and the ethical pacing of therapeutic work. Students are encouraged to distinguish supportive trauma-informed practice from specialist interventions that require additional training or professional authorisation.

Evidence-Informed Integration

Contemporary models are considered critically and in context. Cognitive, behavioural, neuroscientific, developmental, somatic, existential and relational perspectives can be compared with psychodynamic theory so that learners understand both the contribution and limitations of different frameworks.

Clinical Skills & Communication

Programmes place emphasis on listening, assessment, case formulation, therapeutic presence, appropriate intervention, relational awareness and the ability to communicate clinical reasoning clearly in skills assessment, written work, viva voce examination and professional settings.

Ethics, Boundaries & Safeguarding

Ethical responsibility is treated as part of clinical competence. Students consider boundaries, confidentiality, safeguarding, risk, referral, scope of competence, documentation, supervision and the potential impact of practitioner behaviour on clients and colleagues.

Reflective Practitioner Development

Learning invites students to notice their own assumptions, emotional responses, blind spots and patterns of relating. This reflective dimension supports more responsible use of self and helps learners recognise when supervision, consultation or personal work may be necessary.

Learning Community

Live interaction, cohort learning and professional dialogue

Although delivery is online, the educational experience is designed to remain relational. Live classes create opportunities for dialogue, questions, small-group discussion, applied exercises, case reflection and the development of a professional vocabulary. This allows students to learn not only from lecturers but also from the perspectives, questions and experiences brought by other members of the cohort.

Students are expected to contribute in a manner consistent with respect, confidentiality, dignity and professional boundaries. Sensitive course material can evoke strong personal and professional responses, so the College emphasises thoughtful participation, reflective self-management and appropriate use of support and supervision.

Discussion

Live teaching allows students to interrogate concepts, compare perspectives and ask questions in real time.

Application

Case material, scenarios and skills exercises help translate theoretical learning into safe and purposeful practice.

Reflection

Learners are encouraged to consider how personal process, values and emotional responses influence professional judgement.

Digital Parchments & Verification

Blockchain-verifiable credentials through ICPS College and POK

Through ICPS College's partnership with POK, eligible awards can be issued as modern digital parchments and verifiable credentials. This gives graduates a portable digital record that can support straightforward verification when presenting an award to employers, professional bodies, educational institutions or other third parties.

POK supports internationally recognised digital-credential standards including Open Badges 3.0 and W3C Verifiable Credentials, together with public verification links, QR-based verification and blockchain-backed verification options. Where an ICPS College award is issued through this pathway, the associated verification record can help demonstrate the issuing institution, recipient, award information and credential status.

VerifyEmployers and third parties can use the supplied verification pathway or QR code to check a credential.ProtectCryptographic and blockchain-supported verification helps make unauthorised alteration detectable.ShareDigital credentials can be presented online as part of a professional profile, portfolio or digital CV.GovernICPS College Registry remains responsible for academic award records, issue status and qualification governance.

Digital parchment format, verification method and blockchain issuance may vary by award and Registry policy. Students should rely on the official credential supplied by ICPS College and its associated verification record.

Student Journey

From first enquiry to verified qualification

The student journey is structured so that academic and administrative expectations remain clear from the point of enquiry through to completion. Registry, lecturers, Moodle and formal assessment processes each play a different role in supporting that progression.

Explore

Review programme content, entry information, delivery format, assessment and intended learning outcomes.

Enrol

Secure a place through the College enrolment pathway and receive Registry guidance on requirements and fees.

Learn

Attend live classes, participate in discussion and use Moodle for reading, revision and independent study.

Demonstrate

Complete the attendance, skills and summative assessment components required by the individual programme.

Qualify

Following successful completion and academic processing, eligible awards may be issued with modern digital verification.

Standards & Support

A professional learning community with clear expectations

Professional education depends on more than course content. It also depends on how students, lecturers and the College communicate, manage boundaries and protect the learning environment. ICPS College therefore places emphasis on clear policy, respectful conduct, confidentiality and appropriate channels for academic and student-support matters.

Ethics & Safeguarding

Professional boundaries, confidentiality, safeguarding, referral awareness and responsible conduct are embedded across the learner experience. Students are expected to engage with College policies, procedures and codes of conduct.

Respect & Inclusivity

The College promotes a respectful, non-judgemental and inclusive learning environment in which difference can be discussed thoughtfully, diverse perspectives can be considered and personal dignity is protected.

Registry & Learner Support

Registry guidance, Moodle resources, academic information and structured communication channels help students understand course requirements, assessment processes, administrative responsibilities and the appropriate route for support.

Learning that asks more than memorisation

Professional counselling and psychotherapy education requires the capacity to think, reflect, tolerate complexity, recognise one's own responses and use theory in ways that remain ethically grounded. ICPS College structures programmes around that wider process of professional formation.

Academic Quality

Teaching, assessment and professional accountability

Lecturer-Led Delivery

Programmes are taught live online, supporting direct interaction, discussion and the application of theory to practice.

Applied Assessment

Assessment formats are selected to test understanding, integration, communication and safe professional application rather than recall alone.

Reflective Practice

Students are encouraged to recognise transference, countertransference, emotional response, bias, limitation and the role of supervision in responsible practice.

Scope of Competence

Courses support professional development but do not replace statutory, professional or specialist requirements that may apply to particular roles or regulated areas of practice.

Ongoing Learning

Moodle, reading, revision, case reflection and CPD encourage students to understand qualification as part of continuing professional development rather than an endpoint.

Academic Governance

Registry processes, assessment requirements, moderation and College policy help protect the integrity of awards and the learning environment.

Study with ICPS College

Explore the programme that fits your next stage of professional development

Browse specialist Professional Diplomas, Certificates, CPD courses and workshops, or contact Registry if you would like guidance before enrolling.